Remedy
by apinchofushyn
Summary: Maki fell sick and it's up to Niko to nurse her back to health. Meanwhile, Niko starts to feel more for Maki while the red head remains utterly and adorably clueless to Niko's apparent feelings.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I'm biting off more than i can chew here T.T (forgive me). To those who're following my other story, _Layers, _don't worry, i am not abandoning it. Really. For the past 2 months i was trying to finish off my PMMM (KyokoxHomura) story - finally finished it. This'll probably be a short fanfic that spans for around 3-4 chapters maybe?

So here's my first NikoxMaki attempt. The setting of the story takes place at the beach in episode 10 (i think) and diverges off from there.

I have a feeling there's a similar story out here some where... if there is i sincerely apologise :x

* * *

_1_

Clad in a pink frilly swim top and bottom, the twin tailed girl lay on the beach chair with grace; her sunglasses neatly covered her crimson eyes, readily blocking the incoming ray of sunlight. Everything had seemed perfect – save for the scowl that spotted the girl's face when she realised that her leg couldn't reach the end of beach chair unlike a certain someone who was casually lying on the beach chair next to her, leisurely reading what seemed like a novel.

For the umpteenth time, Yazawa Niko cursed the gods for giving her such a short body. Sure, she was cute – especially with her hair tied up in a twin tail but alas, she had a (almost) flat chest and no womanly curves at all – yet again, unlike the girl beside her. She'd give anything to have the figure like the girl beside her but overtime, she'd tried to accept her pitiful fate – of being small sized.

And hence, she'd developed a persona befitting of her, leading to what we know as the "Niko-Niko-nii smile" today.

The girl beside her – Nishikino Maki, was quietly flipping through the pages of her novel, seemingly engrossed in the neat lines of words on the page. Her sunglasses was pushed up to her forehead, her slightly wavy scarlet hair cascaded down her shoulder and her bare back.

Coincidentally, the red head was also wearing a pink bikini – a lighter shade of pink compared to Niko's – with white strips and a midnight blue shorts bottom with a pink ribbon decorated at the side where her left hip was.

Maki continued reading, a passive and indifferent look on her face.

Finally, Niko, who couldn't stand the silence any longer, said, "Hey, Maki-chan."

"Yeah?" the red haired girl said without lifting her eyes off her novel.

"What are you reading?"

"A Book."

"Tch. I can see that. I mean, what _kind _of book are you reading?"

"…a book on stargazing…" Maki finally answered.

"…Stargazing…?" Niko echoed, wondering if she'd heard wrongly. _Since when was Maki-chan interested in Stargazing?_

"Yeah," the read head repeated, this time, tonelessly.

"What's so fun about stargazing…?" Niko asked, raising an eyebrow. She was curious. After all, this was the first time she'd seen someone so interested in stargazing.

"…." Maki looked at Niko, her mouth opened, as if wanting to say something. It was then a stab of pain hit her head, making the red haired girl hiss inaudibly as she brought her palm towards her aching head.

_A headache...out of all times…_Maki groaned inwardly.

She then frowned before turning back to her book.

"Hey! Answer me!" Niko said irritably.

"I like stargazing, that's why…" Maki finally remembered to answer her senior as she bit the inside of her lip, hoping that her headache would cease soon.

A wave of dizziness crashed over Maki, making her blink as she tried to clear away the blurriness of her sight but to no avail. _Crap…the world…is spinning around me…If this keeps up…I'm going to – _

"…That still doesn't explain why you think it's fun…" she vaguely heard the third-year said.

"...I'm going to go back to the villa first…" She murmured softly and tiredly. _I need to get to the villa before I– _

"Huh…?" Niko removed her sunglasses to stare at the red head in who had started to walk away slowly.

Her mind turned fuzzy and hazy as black spots danced at the corners of her eyes._ This is bad_…_I can't…_ Maki staggered a little, her book dropped onto the ground with a soft thud.

Without warning, she collapsed onto the ground.

"M-Maki-chan!" Niko was now alarmed, as she rushed up to the red head.

"Ah…haah…" Maki started to breathe heavily, her face flushed as she gasped between breaths.

"Maki-chan! Maki-chan! What's wrong?!" Niko's face was filled with worry as she tried to pull the red head up.

_She's…surprisingly…light…_Niko thought as she wrapped Maki's arms around her neck.

"N…Ni..Niko…chan…" Maki muttered, "I…I'm sorry…I feel…dizzy…" _My conscious… ah… is… fading…_

"Hey, Maki-chan! Maki-chan!" Niko put her hand on the girl's forehead before exclaiming, "You're burning up!"

The black haired girl cursed before shouting over to the rest of her idol mates who were still playing beach volley ball, "Hey guys! Maki has fainted!"

All 7 of them halted in their tracks, their eyes wide open before rushing over to where Niko and Maki were.

"What's wrong?" Honoka asked, concerned for her friend.

"She's having a high fever. I think that's why she fainted." Niko explained.

"She…didn't tell us…" Umi said quietly.

"I bet she just didn't want to bother us or worry us…" Kotori sighed.

"Or…maybe she's just too shy to tell us the truth…" Nozomi frowned.

"Either way, I'm bringing her back to the villa. Can you guys help me search the area if there's a clinic or hospital nearby…?" Niko asked

"Rin-chan, Hanayo-chan, Honoka-chan and I will help look around," Nozomi decided before looking at Niko and the unconscious Maki.

"Thanks…Nozomi…and Eri, help me carry her back to the villa…" Niko requested softly.

Eri immediately went over to help Niko.

"Then…Kotori and I will search the villa to see if there's anything there we could use to help Maki…" Umi said.

"Okay." Niko nodded as the rest of them went back to the villa.

* * *

_Back in the villa_

Niko was now sitting next to Maki in one of the empty bedrooms.

The red haired girl was lying on the huge bed, almost peacefully save for the pained look on her face. Her cheeks were also slightly red, possibly due to the fever.

The twin tailed girl's heart clenched at the sight.

An uneasy feeling settled in her for reasons she could not decipher as she continued to observe the smooth and pale features of her junior who didn't seemed like she'd be awake any time soon.

The scarlet haired girl now wore a white large sized shirt over her swim attire. Eri had wanted to change the unconscious girl out of her swim attire for fear that her cold might worsen but Niko had talked the blonde girl out of it – she had a feeling that when Maki woke up, she'd had a fit knowing that someone had changed her clothing. Hence they settled for a shirt they found in the bedroom.

Kotori and Umi had searched all over the house and managed to find a several cold medicine lying around the kitchen cabinets while the Nozomi and the others who went to search for a doctor have yet to come back.

A sudden groan cut off the twin tailed girl's thoughts and Niko's head snapped back to the sick girl.

"Maki-chan…?"

The said girl pressed her palm against her temple and blinked, feeling a little disoriented as she sucked in a breath.

"N...Niko-chan…?" she croaked out.

"Are you okay?" Niko immediately asked, worried about the red haired girl.

"I…I still feel a little dizzy…" Maki admitted quietly.

The black haired girl narrowed her eyes and said, "Why didn't you tell us you had a high fever?"

"F-Fever…?" Maki repeated, a little confused.

_What? She didn't know she was sick? To think she came from a family of doctors… _Niko sighed. "You collapsed 'coz you had a fever."

"Ah."

"Don't 'ah' me. Don't you know how worried I was?!" Niko burst out.

"You were worried about me?" Maki repeated.

"Well yea! I'm worried about – " Niko's eyes widened when she realised what she'd just said. Twice. "I-I'm mean, _we _are all worried about you…"

"Oh?" Maki raised an eyebrow before a smile crept up her face. "I see." And then she added, "Thanks, Niko-chan. You're the one who brought me up here right?"

"Y-Yea…E-Eri carried helped me carry you…though…" Niko mumbled.

Silence fell upon the room and neither girl said anything.

"There's a cold medicine on the– " before Niko could finished her sentence, Maki suddenly gasped out.

"Maki-chan?"

The red haired girl's head started to spin again, and everything around her started to duplicate itself. Her breaths came out shallow as the acid in her stomach seemed to be doing high level somersaults.

She could faintly hear Niko's worried shouts but just as she was trying to assure her that she was just dizzy again, bile rose up her throat and all other thoughts in her mind was gone, save for trying to get to the bathroom without puking her guts out onto the floor.

Clamping her hand over her mouth, Maki stumbled off the bed and as quickly as her disoriented self could let her and dashed into the nearest bathroom before she lurched over the toilet bowl and started retching.

* * *

Maki could feel someone rushing into the bathroom. She had no doubt it was Niko. In all honesty, the red head didn't want anyone to see her in such a weak state but before she could attempt to chase the twin tailed girl out, Niko had burst into the bathroom, worry evident on her face.

"Maki-chan! Are you okay?"

Maki shook her head tiredly and when she tried to open her mouth to speak, a wave of nausea hit her and she started to heave again.

Niko immediately knelt beside the girl and rubbed her hands against Maki's back soothingly while Maki threw up miserably.

Niko was worried. The disheveled and weak look on Maki's face when she entered the bathroom had shocked her. Seeing the red head slumped down beside the toilet bowl and using the sink as a support, Niko's heart clenched once again as a set of unbearable feeling coursed through her. She badly wanted to do something to alleviate the pain Maki was feeling.

She could see that Maki was suffering. Her face was of an unhealthy colour and haggard, while her lips were dry and pale. Her usually vibrant violet orbs were glazed over with a distant look in her eyes.

"Maki-chan?" Niko said softly.

Maki gave no response as she weakly grasped the sink, trying to pull herself up.

The red head took one staggering step forward and realised that her vision was blurring again.

Niko put a warm hand on Maki's shaking shoulder just as the girl fell forward clumsily.

Slowly, Niko wrapped Maki's arms around her neck and skillfully carried her out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.

When Maki was safely back in bed, Niko had promptly forced a cold relief pill into the red head's mouth with some water as well as an anti-nausea pill that she managed to find in the house.

When Maki's eyes finally opened slowly, Niko was up on her feet immediately.

"How are you feeling?"

Maki grimaced. "Like hell. But a lot better than before."

Niko nodded. Maki's face had some colour back – though still a little pale.

She hadn't realised it before but when she turned to look at Maki, she realised that she shouldn't have picked out a thin white shirt for Maki. The shirt had stuck closely to Maki's sweaty but pale skin and Niko noticed, with a furious blush, that she was now able to see Maki's swim top – or rather, her bikini.

Quickly, the twin tailed girl averted her gaze and turned away immediately as her heart started to thunder against her chest, an indescribable feeling almost overwhelming her.

_Crap. Why do I feel – _

"Niko…chan?" Maki asked uncertainly.

"Y-Yes…?" Niko stuttered before cursing herself inwardly for the stutter.

"I was just wondering, did you put on the shirt for me?"

Niko nodded slightly as she dared a glance back at the girl.

"Ah. Thanks…" Maki said, blushing slightly. No doubt she was glad that Niko at least let her wear a shirt over her swim attire. She was also glad that they didn't attempt to change her out of her swim wear. At the thought of having Niko change her out of her swim wear and into proper clothing, her cheeks burned brighter.

When Maki blushed, Niko thought her heart was going to explode. _She's so cute._ Niko thought, heat rising up her cheeks as her eyes travelled from Maki's reddened face and unconsciously down her smooth neck and her chest, held tightly by her bikini underneath the thin white fabric that hugged her figure closely.

_Damn. I have to stop that…_

"I'll…go check and see if the rest had returned…" Niko fumbled for an excuse as she stood up quickly, deliberately not looking at Maki.

"O-Okay…" Maki said, though a disappointed look remained on her face. For some reason, she really didn't want Niko to leave the room. Not that she'd admit that to the said person in front of her.

Hurriedly, the twin tailed girl left the room and walked down the hallway, her face red.

When she reached the staircase, the petite third year slumped down against the railing of the stairs, a hand covering her flushing face.

_Why am I… _

At the same time, Maki, now alone in the room, held her hand close to her heart and whispered softly, "Why am I…"

_Why am I looking at her that way?_

"Why am I disappointed that she's leaving the room?"


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N_: Happy Chinese New Year! First, an apology for the late update. To compensate for the late update, I'll post the remaining chapter(s) today. Once _Remedy _is done, I'll get back to _Layers. _I've got the general plot for the next few chapters down already, i just have to type them out. _Remedy _turned out different from what I'd originally wanted but oh well. Hopefully people will be fine with whatever I came up with. Oh yea, Maki or Niko (or both) might be a little OoC here. Sorry 'bout that.

And thanks for all the reviews, favorites and follows! :D

On with the story...

* * *

2

"Niko…?"

Niko jumped at the voice, and hit her head against the railing of the staircase with groan of pain.

"S-Sorry…" the voice continued and cringed inwardly.

"What is it, Eri?"

"I was wondering why you were sitting here dazedly alone. Is Maki alright?"

Niko nodded tiredly. "She's fine. I forced her to eat a cold relief and anti-nausea pill. That girl didn't know that she was sick until she fainted and started puking."

"I see," the blonde frowned before sighing. "Nozomi and others still aren't back yet. Umi and Kotori are trying to whip up a bowl of porridge for Maki…"

At the grim look on Eri's face, Niko could immediately tell that it was going to take a long time before those two can cook up something edible and good for an ill person.

Sighing, Niko stood up and said, "I'll take over then. At this rate they're going, night will come before they even finish cooking."

"Thanks, Niko." Eri gave her a wry smile before saying, "I'll go check on Maki now then."

"Please do."

With that, Niko headed down the stairs, her emotions in a turmoil as she entered the kitchen, only to see Kotori chopping away and Umi trying to turn on the stove.

_How long have they been doing that?_

Judging by how slowly Kotori was cutting the carrots and how Umi was trying to figure out how to turn on the stove, Niko knew that she should take over soon.

"Hey."

Startled, both girls turned around to meet Niko's grim face.

"I'll cook instead."

"But…" Kotori protested.

"I could probably do this 10 times faster than you," Niko said bluntly.

"Alright." Kotori and Umi sighed in defeat.

At the look on her junior's face, Niko felt guilty at once. Scratching her hair slightly, she muttered, "Well, at least you tried."

"Sure we did," Kotori immediately lightened up before a mischievous glint crossed her eyes, "You're right. We should let you cook Maki-chan's food. I'm sure Maki-chan would love it too."

"W-Wh– " Niko stammered as her cheeks flamed at Kotori's comment.

"Kotori, stop teasing Niko," Umi sighed before dragging her childhood friend out of the kitchen, not before giving the twin tailed girl an apologetic smile.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Niko had finished cooking and was now heading for Maki's room, the bowl of hand-made porridge on her hand.

Taking a deep breath, Niko opened the door quietly as she entered the room.

Maki seemed to be sound asleep on the bed, clutching her pillow tightly as she curled up in a fetal-like position. Her breathing was slow and quiet, a light and soft snore could be heard every now and then. Her scarlet hair was even more messed up – in an adorable way and some colour seemed to have returned to her cheeks.

Slowly and quietly, Niko walked towards the patient on the bed and put the bowl on the bedside table.

_She looks so adorable when she's asleep… _Niko unconsciously thought as she observed the red head.

Her heart started to thump wildly against her chest again, and her face felt hot. No matter how much she tried to tear her face off the sleeping girl, she couldn't. It was as if some magnetic force had compelled her to stare at the red haired girl.

Her eyes inevitably – as it was prone to – started to trail down Maki's face, memorising every curve and contours on the red head's face. She then noticed that her eyelashes were long.

_Since when were her eyelashes that long? _Niko wondered as her small hands reached out to caress the sleeping girl's face gently and slowly. She resisted the urge to squeal at how cute and adorable Maki was as she unconsciously continued to smooth her thumb over the girl's closed eyelids.

Her eyes then continued to travel down before it rested at the small and pink entrance.

Niko gulped and realised that her face was now really hot. No, it was _burning hot_. Her head started to reel as her heartbeat accelerated. The only thought left in her mind was the perfect shape of the red haired girl's captivating lips.

She had this sudden urge to lean down and kiss the girl but – fortunately – managed to hold herself back. She then licked her lips before biting her inner lips to control her urge.

_Dear God. What's wrong with me?_

_Why am I so drawn to Maki-chan? Why do I feel like kissing her?_

The truth was, Niko already had some idea what was wrong with her. She just didn't want to admit it. But when? When did she start to feel this way? Niko realised that she really didn't know when she'd fallen for the beautiful first year – just that she'd somehow fallen for her. Scratching her hair in frustration, the raven haired girl sucked in short breath before forcing herself to step back, away from the sleeping girl.

She couldn't risk getting closer to her lest she couldn't help but to steal a kiss from Maki.

A movement from the bed distracted Niko's thoughts.

"N…Niko-chan…?" Maki murmured, rubbing the sleepiness off her eyes slowly as she yawned quietly.

"Y-Yes?"

"Mmm…something smells nice…" Maki said drowsily as she sniffed the air.

"I made some…porridge for you. To be honest, Kotori and Umi wanted to make something for you but…I doubt they'll be able to cook something fast enough so I took over them."

Niko immediately went over to the bedside table to retrieve the said bowl and brought it over to the red haired girl carefully.

"…Um…" Maki's face reddened slightly in an embarrassed manner as she stared at the porridge that Niko was holding. The fact was, the red haired girl didn't have the strength to carry the bowl. All energy had been sapped out of her and her arms and hands still felt weak and limp.

A sudden realisation dawned upon Niko and she bit the inside of her lips.

"…Do…you…" Niko started as she fought down an impending blush. "…want me to…feed you…?"

Maki's face immediately lit up at Niko's words. That was the silent confirmation that Niko needed.

But Niko couldn't help the blush on her face.

_Calm down, Niko. Calm down. You're just feeding her. Nothing more. Get yourself together…_

"R-Right. Um…" Niko scooped a spoonful of porridge and awkwardly moved it closer to Maki's mouth.

By then, Maki's face was as red as Niko's as she accepted the spoonful of porridge shyly.

Truth to be told, Niko was a little surprised that Maki actually wanted to be fed. Perhaps it was the fact that the red head was sick, but Maki seemed to be milder and more open about her feelings today.

_Feeding Maki-chan…it feels like we're actually– _

Maki hissed and Niko immediately became alarmed, "What's wrong?!"

"N-Nothing...it was too hot…that's all…"

"I'm sorry," the older girl immediately apologised as she cursed her carelessness inwardly. Scooping the next spoon, Niko made sure to blow gently into the spoon to cool the porridge before bringing it into Maki's mouth.

Once Maki glomped the whole spoon away, a sparkle glistened in her lavender eyes brightly as she made a sound of contentment.

"H-How was it?"

"It's delicious!" Maki exclaimed happily.

"R-Really?" Niko flushed, her heart rate started to pick up its speed again.

"Un!" Maki nodded with an uncharacteristic smile, causing Niko's heart to skip a beat.

"Then, I'll continue…to feed you."

Maki nodded slightly.

After Maki finished the bowl of hand-made porridge by Niko, the red haired girl sighed happily, "Thanks…Niko-chan. It was delicious."

"Y-You're welcome…" Niko mumbled back, averting her gaze. She didn't think she'd be able to handle it if Maki stared at her for too long.

"What's wrong? You look a little uncomfortable…" Maki asked softly, when Niko shifted her eyes away from Maki.

"N-Nothing…" Niko breathed out unsteadily. "I…I'll just…go and wash the bowl…" Niko made up an excuse to leave the room. Maki, still unaware of the inner turmoil in the raven haired girl, closed into her and pressed her forehead against Niko's forehead.

The twin tailed girl's eyes widened as blood rushed to her cheeks, causing it to flame brightly before stuttering, "W-Wh-What…are y-you…d-d-doing?"

_ Too close…She's...too close…_

"Hm…doesn't seem like you've caught my fever…" Maki muttered. Niko stiffened when Maki's breath tickled her skin, causing her body to shiver.

"M-Maki…chan…? Wh-What are you…"

"I'm just checking if you had a fever. Your face is so red."

"Checking…?" Niko echoed dumbly.

"Yea…My mum did that when I was young to check my temperature."

Niko was stunned. Recollecting herself quickly, she said, "C-Can't you use your palm instead?"

"Palm…?"

"Like this," the raven haired girl demonstrated my placing her palm against Maki's forehead. "Ah. It seems like your fever has gone down a little."

"Well, it doesn't matter right?" Maki raised an eyebrow, referring to the method of checking one's temperature.

Niko could only stare at the younger girl. She couldn't admit that the only reason why she didn't think 'it doesn't matter' was because Maki was too close to her. She thought her heart would burst if Maki kept this up. She then wondered if Maki was doing all these on purpose.

Probably not.

She didn't think her heart could take it any longer.

"I…I'll…go now. I'll check up on you later…" Niko muttered as she started to walk away.

Just as the twin tailed girl was about to head towards to door, a small tug at her sleeve halted her tracks.

"M…Maki-chan…?" Niko turned around.

"D-Don't leave!" Maki blurted out loudly, her face blushing a scarlet red as her hands grasped the ends of Niko's sleeve tightly.


	3. Chapter 3

3

Niko could only stare at the red haired girl in genuine surprise.

Maki, on the other hand, seemed to have frozen at her spot, not knowing what the hell possessed her to make her act the way she did.

_W-Why did I…_

"M-Maki-chan…?"

"I-I'm sorry!" Maki immediately let go of Niko's sleeve, her face still bright red.

The younger girl heart was beating faster than usual and she had no clue what on earth was happening to her.

Seeing Maki frozen in shock, as if she had no idea why she had stopped Niko, the raven haired girl's eyes softened before turning around and said gently, "What's wrong, Maki-chan?"

"I…" Maki looked confused for a second, struggling to say something but failed. "I…don't know…." That was the best she could come up with at the moment.

Seeing the confused and lost look on the younger girl's face, Niko's heart broke a little.

_She doesn't know why she didn't want me to leave? Don't tell me…_

Niko stopped herself. _I can't delude myself like that. There's no way Maki-chan would... Maybe she just doesn't want to be alone…Yea…that's probably it…_

"I'll keep you company then?" Niko offered.

Maki nodded, a look of relief evident on her face.

The twin tailed girl proceeded to set the utensils down on the table. Just as she was about to turn around, something caught her foot and the older girl started to fall forward.

_C-Crap…_

Instinctively, a pair of arms grabbed her.

Maki had caught Niko from falling.

"H-Hurry…my arms…feel weak…I can't…" Maki gritted her teeth.

Without warning, the weight of Niko falling had inadvertently pulled the red haired girl along and both were sent crashing onto the bedroom floor.

Somehow, Maki had landed on top of Niko, her knees were fitted coincidentally between the latter's thighs, chest on chest, and her hands were sandwiched between Niko's head.

"O-Ouch…" Niko groaned for the second time in the day as the back of her head throbbed.

When her eyes opened, a sea of lavender took her breath away.

The twin tailed girl's eyes widened as she stared into the captivating purple orbs, her cheeks burning.

On the other hand, Maki, too, was blushing hotly. She tried to remove herself from Niko's body but couldn't. Her whole body felt weak and she couldn't summon the energy to move. And when Niko had opened her eyes, Maki's face burned the colour of her hair as she couldn't help but be mesmerised by Niko's red orbs.

The two of them stared into each other for several seconds, their heart thumping loudly and quickly against their chest. Neither made any more attempts to move and time seemed to stop.

_This is bad…_Niko's breath started to hitch. _My whole body feels hot. I can't concentrate…If she stays on me any longer…I…won't be able to…_

Maki didn't understand the glazed look on Niko's face. All she knew that the dark look on the older girl's face was making her feel hot all over. She didn't understand what was going on and how Niko was able to evoke such strong feelings in her.

The two held their gaze for several more seconds before both of them broke away from the stare simultaneously, thoroughly embarrassed.

"I-I'm sorry, I'll…just…mov– "

Unfortunately, Maki had forgotten that her arms and legs were weak. When she tried to lift herself up from Niko, the red haired girl's limbs buckled under her weight.

* * *

_Soft. _

That was the first thought that resounded in Niko's mind. Something felt soft on her lips.

Somewhere in her mind registered the fact that when Maki tried to lift herself up, her limbs had given way, and that resulted in Maki's lips pressing against hers.

However, at the taste of Maki's lips, all reason and coherent thoughts flew out of her mind immediately.

Unable to restrain herself, Niko started to push her lips against Maki's.

At the back of her mind, she knew that Maki was stiffed shocked and wasn't responding at all. But Niko just couldn't control herself.

A few seconds later, Niko felt Maki returning the kiss hesitantly.

After a while, Niko finally pulled away, her body still on fire as her face remained flushed.

Maki was in the same state as Niko. The red haired girl, however, had a look of utter confusion colouring her face, as if she couldn't comprehend what just happened.

When the younger girl finally regained her breath, she slipped her finger on her lips and trembled slightly.

When what she'd done finally sunk in, the raven haired girl face paled as she cursed herself inwardly for her lack of self control.

The twin tailed girl pushed the girl on top of her slightly while she tried to sit up. Somehow, they'd managed to sit up and were now opposite of each other, on the bedroom floor.

"M-Maki-chan…" Niko broke the awkward silence.

"W-W-Wha…" Maki started to panic.

"C-Calm down. Maki-chan," the older girl tried to sooth the younger girl as she grasped the red head's hands.

Maki stiffened at the touch but didn't do anything to remove it.

"I…I'm sorry," Niko finally said, her voice sincerely apologetic. "I shouldn't have…kissed you."

Maki shook her head. "I was the one who caused it…I think…"

"It doesn't matter. Point is, even if it was an accident, I shouldn't have continued… the kiss…" Niko sighed guiltily. To make things worse, now that she'd gotten a taste of Maki's lips, she was craving for more.

"I…kissed back too…" Maki stated quietly.

"You probably got caught up in the moment…since I was kissing you," Niko countered.

"Niko-chan…I…" Maki fumbled for the right words to express what she was feeling right now but realised that she couldn't. She didn't even know what she was feeling now. In the first place, she wasn't even mad at Niko for…kissing her. She was stunned at first, when Niko started to kiss her. After a few seconds, for reasons she couldn't comprehend, she'd started to kiss the older girl back. She thought the twin tailed girl's lips tasted so sweet, as sweet as strawberries, and wanted to kiss her back.

It was even fair to say that she liked the kiss but didn't know why.

Niko could sense that the younger girl was having a hard time trying to express her feelings now but there was nothing she could do about it.

Without warning, Maki's lips smacked into Niko's lips again.

Bewildered, Niko froze for a split second before she felt the red head's lips moving and rubbing against hers.

Her mind started to reel, her head spun. Heat rose to her cheeks and entire being, as if it were being set on fire. Unconsciously, despite the soft protests at the back of her mind, Niko kissed back.

In just a few seconds, the kiss became heated as Niko grasped Maki's back tightly, pushing herself into Maki, wanting to feel more of the red head. Maki returned the embrace and rubbed her smooth hands against Niko's back in a rhythmic manner, causing the latter to let out a low moan into her mouth as their tongues started to mingle passionately.

When they finally pulled away to catch their breaths, Niko's head was still fuzzy as panted softly for air. Likewise, Maki's head was still muddled as she gasped quietly.

"I…love you…" Niko murmured in her delirious state, the warm taste of Maki's lips still lingered in her mouth.

Maki froze, her eyes grew big and her mouth gaped open.

Seeing Maki's reaction, Niko wondered what was wrong. And then–

_Crap. _The raven haired girl realised too late that she'd accidentally confessed to the younger girl when her mind wasn't in a controlled state.

"I'm so sorry, I–"

"So that's…what it is…" Maki interrupted quietly. "Love…"

"Huh…?"

"I love…you too…" Maki said softly, her lavender eyes stared right into Niko's shocked red orbs.

"W-Wha…"

"I finally understand now. Why I didn't want you to leave me. Why I kissed you back and initiated another kiss with you. No, whyI _wanted_ and _liked _to kiss you... The answer's so simple yet…" She trailed off.

"You…like me…?" Niko thought that she'd heard wrongly.

"Yes." Maki confirmed.

"B-But…" _How is this even possible? Maki-chan didn't even know what 'love' was just a minute ago and yet…_

"I guess I was too dense to realise…" Maki chuckled slightly before she froze again as another thought crossed her mind. _Then when…Niko-chan was feeding me…and I was pressing my forehead against her…_ The red head finally understood the reason behind Niko's weird reactions against her.

Blushing slightly, Maki uttered, "I…um…sorry…for causing trouble to you…just now…"

Understanding where Maki was coming from, Niko shook her head, not wanting Maki to be apologetic at all. After all, Maki wasn't the one at fault here.

"So…" Maki trailed off, not too sure what they should do now.

Niko took the cue and smiled. "Let me say this again, Maki-chan. I love you."

Maki blushed furiously for her part and muttered back adorably, "I…love you too, Niko-chan."

The older girl then allowed a full blown grin crossed her face as she placed a chaste kiss on the younger girl's reddened cheeks.

"By the way, when we kissed just now…you hadn't brushed your teeth…after you threw up right?" Niko sounded amused as she smirked.

Maki's face turned scarlet red and as her lips curled into an unpleasant pout.

"Stupid Niko-chan."

* * *

_A/N_: That's the end of the short story. TBH, the ending wasn't...satisfactory for me. I wanted Maki to stretch Niko to the point that Niko had to confess... But i couldn't come up with something better... Anyway, whatever happens after this...is solely up to one's imagination. (and yes i do realise that Nozomi and the others...are still not back yet...) This is a Niko x Maki/ Maki x Niko fanfic after all. -laughs-


End file.
